ut an inspection
of the intervening ground had shown it to be so encumbered with ruins
that it was soon apparent that she must be left where she was.

A very large amount of excavation--much more than they could possibly
manage alone--would be necessary before the lower portion of the walls
and the pavement of the building could be laid bare, and they decided to
go over to M'Bongwele's village on the following morning and arrange
with him if possible for the hire of some fifty or a hundred men. This,
however, proved to be unnecessary, for whilst they were at breakfast
next day the sound of a horn was heard without, and, going on deck, they
discovered Lualamba below in charge of a party of some twenty women
bearing a present of milk (in closely woven grass baskets), eggs, fowls,
and fruit, and a message from the king asking whether his visitors
required assistance of any kind in the pursuit of their investigations.

"Capital!" exclaimed the baronet when von Schalckenberg had translated
the message. "This is as it should be. Lower the ladder, professor,
and ask Lualamba to come on deck. We must send back a present to the
king in return for that which he has sent us; and we can at the same
time forward a message explaining our wants."

Lualamba quickly made his appearance on deck, where, after receiving a
further small present for himself and a cast-off soldier's coat,
battered cocked-hat, an old pair of uniform trousers, the seams of which
were trimmed with tarnished gold braid, and half a dozen strings of
beads, as a present for the king, the wants of the travellers were
explained to him. The chief shook his head; he feared it would be
difficult, if not impossible, to meet the wishes of the illustrious
strangers in the particular manner spoken of. The male inhabitants of
the village were all warriors, to whom work of any description would be
an unspeakable degradation. But he would see what could be done. If
women, now, would serve the strangers' purpose as well as men, the thing
could easily be arranged.

Had the travellers been less experienced than they were this suggestion
as to the employment of women would have come upon them as a surprise;
but they were well aware that among many savage races labour is looked
upon as degrading, and therefore imposed solely upon the women; so they
merely thanked Lualamba for his promise, and intimated that women would
serve them equally as well as men. Upon which Lualam